Fashion Week: NY1 Tags Along As Model Spends A Day Meeting With Casting Agents

"What does it take for models to make it to the runways at Olympus Fashion Week? In the following report, NY1’s Cheryl Wills takes us behind the scenes of the modeling world.

Kasia Kniola is in New York City for the very first time in her life. The 17-year-old flew in from Poland just to walk the runways here at Olympus Fashion Week.

She's already done runway shows in Paris, but before she steps on to the catwalk in the Big Apple, she must first be cast for the shows.

“Today we have 11 castings to do,” she says.

Eleven castings may sound like a lot, but according to Gwenn Saimanspeak the agent representing girls like Kasia, top models may have up to 15 a day. And then there are other girls just trying to get seen, and they have five to 10 a day.

Pictures of the girls are sent by modeling agencies in show packages one month before these castings to designers and casting agents.

“Many of the best designers will only see models upon request, based on editorial they have coming out in Europe and America and shows they've done in Milan and Paris, and sometimes London,” says Saimanspeak, the vice president of PLANIT m.

So, NY1 got a taste of the modeling world spending a day with Kasia. At each stop models present their portfolios, pose for a Polaroid, and finally they walk the walk.

“[It’s] very, very important for me, the walk, the carriage, the representation, because it will truly reflect on the clothing on the runway,” says Venexiana designer Kate Stern.

The first stop for Kasia was the VLP by Victoria Bartlett casting.

“It was fine,” says Kasia. “They just took some cards, and now we're going to Marc Jacobs casting.”

Then came Luella Bartley.

“There was a lot of girls there, but not such a long waiting. It was going fast,” says Kasia.

We went all over the city, from Luella to Sandoval to the Doo.Ri casting.

“The designer is nice and the casting was fast too,” says Kasia.

There was a setback at one stop - United Bamboo - which Kasia says didn't go as well as she had hoped.

“They don't even talk to me on the casting, which is quite weird, I think,” she says. “And then they didn't ask me to try on any clothes. I don't think they like my walking.”

But that didn't get her down, because she says the next two seemed to go well, Kate Stern for Venexiana and Kai Milla.

“She did fantastic. We were very excited about the way she fit both outfits,” says Kithe Brewster, a stylist for Kai Milla.

Time for a lunch break. So what does a runway model pack in her lunchbox?

“I shouldn't say if front of the camera, but it's McDonald's,” she says. “I really like fast foods. That's the bad thing.”

But the good thing is that Kaisa has plenty of designers wanting her to walk their runways.

“I heard we have a few more castings, which is like crazy,” she says.

We'll have to keep our eye out for Kasia on the runways this week, or at a local McDonald's.